Gold
by Astrocract
Summary: AU. Trespassing on royal grounds wasn't exactly the smartest thing for Mello to do, but when he's being chased by a few guys after his head, desperation calls. Caught by the heir to the throne not before long, he is given a choice; to get executed or to work as a palace servant for the 18 year old prince, Matt Jeevas. MattxMello.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapt. 1**

"Hey, you there! Stop!"

"Shit," the blonde cursed, trying harder to hide himself among the trees. It didn't work, though, and it certainly didn't help that the bag hanging off his waist jingled and clinked with every small movement. He would've have attempted to stealth away but it was really no use; a guard had already noticed him and was beginning to make his way through the dense forest to get to him.

Attempting escape, he got up and ran; faster than he had ever ran in his life and the guard, or _guards, _started giving chase. _Great, _he thought,_ as if being chased by one group of people wasn't enough._

Running out of breath, he could already hear the footsteps catching up, getting louder and louder behind him. Sports was never his thing; thievery and crime, yes. Running? No. So he wasn't even surprised when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder pulling him back, halting his runaway. He wasn't surprised at all when he fell to the muddy ground, surrounded by a group of stockingly built men towering above him, weapons all pointed at him.

"Gotcha..."

...

_He made sure the man was out of sight before rolling off the bed gently , making sure to be as quiet as possible. Throwing on his clothes, he started digging through the drawers quickly, grabbing any thing that seemed to be worth even a bit of money. But as he stuffed them into his leather satchel, someone interrupted him. _

_"Hey, Mello. You gotta leave, my wife is-"_

_The blonde stopped short, his hands still clutched around the gem necklace that had been hanging off the jewellery stand. Had been. _

_"What-what are you doing?!" The man bellowed, putting two and two together on his own which the blonde thought was rather impressive seeing how dumb he was not to have expected it sooner. Really, you can't pick random blonde's off the street throwing themselves at you and not even guess that they might have an ulterior motive. _

_At the thought, the blonde laughed, straightening up from his currently bent-over-the-bottom-drawer position and spared a glance at the man before him. He had a pot belly, rough stubble and a perpetual frown which only disappeared when he was drunk. He was handsome in his teens, the blonde guessed, but he had definitely seen better days. _

_"What are you laughing at, you whore?" The man barked. _

_The blonde narrowed his eyes, laugh fading. Without a single word, he slipped the necklace into his pocket before flipping the man the bird and hopping out the window. The man was stunned for a moment, judging by the lack of reaction as the blonde fell into the bushes below the window, but he got over it fast. _

_"Get back here, you fuckin' thief!" He yelled, following the younger boy out the window. _

_The blonde couldn't help the adrenaline that bubbled through him as he ran; no matter how many times he did this, it was always the same feeling and thrill. _

_He kept running, gaining speed and creating a considerably big distance between himself and the man and it wasn't until he heard a loud click that he turned around for a moment, eyes widening when he saw the sight. The man had a gun, and he just turned off the safety!_

_The blonde had not anticipated this. _

_As he looked forward again, a gunshot that, thankfully, missed him shattering the silence of the night, he realized where he was headed._

_The royal grounds. _

_It got bigger and bigger as he got closer. It was out of bounds to ANYONE except the royal family, but the blonde was seriously running out of options. He was nearing a dead end and the only thing standing between his life and death was that damn castle. _

_When another gunshot sounded through the night, he made up his mind. _

_Not sparing any more thought, he scaled the brick wall that stood in front of him, having difficulty, and desperation filled him as he heard the man get closer and closer. _

_"Get down here you coward!" _

_He flinched as a bullet missed him by _that _much and he tried even harder to get himself up the damn wall. The man and his gun were getting closer and closer and he struggled, holding on to the top of the wall. _

Almost there...

_With a final push, probably driven by his own fear, he managed to pull himself up and over the wall. _

_He tumbled onto the soft muddy soil below and breathed a sigh of relief, praying that the man would not be able to get over the wall. _

_He thought he was finally out of harm's way and applauded himself proudly for getting out of that one, until the guards spotted him, that is, and all his glory faded. It seemed he had jumped out of the pan into the fire. And it certainly seemed as if he was getting fried alive into a crisp..._

_..._

The young prince sat on his throne, gazing out boredly at the mass of people on the ballroom floor, dancing and having 'fun', from the looks of it.

He was eighteen today, celebrating his birthday though it didn't feel like a celebration at all to him. He was the only person not having fun, it seemed, and it was _his _birthday. He almost ordered to have all his guests killed for enjoying this more that he was, but stopped himself. Not because he thought better of it, but because he knew his parents would start a riot if they found out. They were already on his case about his 'maturity level' and social skills, giving him the entire west wing of the castle for his independence, so he had to refrain from making any bad decisions. Executing all his party guests would be in a list of "very, very, _very _bad decisions".

Sighing again for the upteempth time that night, he rested his head on his palms, shifting uncomfortably in the itchy suit he was forced to wear. If only his mother had allowed him to plan the party the way he wanted and make the invitation list, he would not be in this situation right now.

As he continued to wallow in self pity, he noticed a stir among the people in the ballroom. Sitting up, he sifted his gaze through the crowd until he landed on a very familiar looking someone. It was his father, the King's, messenger, Lio. He made his way through the crowd with an air of elegance and walked up the platform to where the throne, and the prince, were.

He cleared his throat to get the prince's attention even though the prince's, and the whole ballroom's, attention was already on the suited man.

"Yes, Lio. Surprised to see you here," the prince commented. It was true; he only ever showed up when there was a very important issue at hand.

"Good evening, young prince," he bowed before straightening his suit jacket and clearing his throat again. "Your father, the royal majesty, wanted me to inform you that there has been a trespasser on royal grounds." The prince's ears perked. "But please do not be alarmed, the situation is well taken care of. Sincere apologies for interrupting your party; I will take my leave now."

"Wait! Lio!" As Lio stepped off the platform, he was stopped by the prince who called out to him.

"Yes, your highness?"

The prince smiled. He was excited now; this was the most interesting thing to have happened in _months, _how could he just let the opportunity slip away?

"I want to meet him. I want to meet the trespasser."

"But, your highness, it is dangerous," the messenger reasoned.

"I don't care. Take me to him."

"But, young prince-"

"Majesty's orders," the prince interjected firmly, getting off his throne. "Lead me to him."

With a deep sigh, Lio finally nodded. "Very well. Your father is dealing with him in the south wing, your highness."

They started to make their way to the south wing, the party guests staring curiously as they exited the ballroom. The prince asked as much questions as he could about the matter but Lio dodged them all, explaining that he only knew very little about it and the prince would have to wait to see what it was all about.

They reached the south wing after what seemed like an eternity of anticipation on the prince's part and he entered it eagerly, changing his eager expression with a serious one. He was highly disappointed, though, when he saw that only his father and his guards stood in the room with no trespasser in sight.

"Matt, what are you doing here?" The king asked when he saw his son burst through the door.

"I tried to stop him, your majesty, but he insisted. I apologize regretfully," Lio bowed lowly, only straightening again when the king spoke.

"It's ok, Lio, it's not your fault. Matt, what are you doing here?"

"I want to watch, if I may," Matt answered.

"Absolutely not. It is dangerous."

The redheaded prince almost rolled his eyes in exasperation before stopping himself. "Father, I'm eighteen. And I just want to learn some new things about how to handle these kind of situations. I will be king one day; shouldn't I learn everything I can now?"

The king couldn't argue with that. So with a furrowed brow, he nodded.

Matt grinned from ear to ear, excited that his father had agreed so easily. But after the initial excitement wore off, he looked around the room. "So, where's the trespasser?"

"On his way."

As if on cue, the wooden double doors were pushed open with force and few guard marched in, grabbing the attention of everybody. In the middle of the circle of guards, the redhead could make out blonde hair.

"Ouch, bastards!" The blonde trespasser spat, struggling in the guards' iron grip. "Let go of me!" He was pushed onto the ground on his knees, bent over so his blonde strands hid his face.

Seeing the trespasser enter, the king rose to his feet and walked over to him, standing just a few feet away. "You've got guts, kid, trespassing on _royal grounds."_

The blonde looked up at the source of the voice and, realizing who he was speaking to, lowered his head again in a slight bow. "Uhm...y-your majesty."

Matt was surprised. He hadn't expected the trespasser, the criminal, to be so...sexy. His face was gorgeous, body smooth and pale, slim with just the right amount of muscle. The prince couldn't help but think of what a shame it would be if he was executed just for this measely crime. Hopefully, the king would be forgiving.

"I hope you know what punishment you will have to face."

"B-but your majesty! I didn't have a choice. I was caught between-"

"Silence!" One of the guard's barked.

"Shut up, you big baboon! I'm just trying to explain-"

"Take him to the execution hall," the king announced suddenly, stopping all further arguments.

"What? Oh, God..." The blonde stuttered as the realization of his fate hit him. What was the point of escaping from that mad man if he was just going to end up killed anyway?

The prince watched with wide eyes as the blonde got lifted off the floor by his arms and started getting dragged out by the guards, his face contorted with a mixture of disbelief and sorrow. Seeing that, he didn't think twice before shouting out, "wait, father!"

All actions were halted as all eyes turned to him.

"What is it, son?"

"Uhm...I want to make a proposition," he responded, puffing his chest out in determination. Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "Let the trespasser choose between getting executed," he looked at the blonde, smiling, "or becoming my personal servant."

"What?!" The king shouted.

"I'm just saying, father, very respectfully, that instead of just killing him, we should put him to good use."

"What about your current servant, Randall?"

"Randall is old, just let him retire already."

There was a brief moment of silence as the king contemplated the proposition his son had just put forth. Both the blonde and the redhead were staring at him with their heart in their mouths as they awaited his decision.

Finally, he spoke again. "Very well." He turned to the blonde who breathed out a large sigh of relief. "Well, then, what's your choice? Execution or being the prince's personal servant?" He asked, though the answer was obvious.

"I'll be the prince's servant!"

Matt smiled to himself, proud for thinking that one up.

"But don't think you're out of trouble just yet," the king warned, turning around as his guards followed behind. "We're going to keep a close eye on you."

"Of course, your majesty."

"Alright. Guards, release him."

The blonde was set free from the clutches of the guards as Matt made his way over to him, helping him onto his feet.

"Y-your highness," the blonde stuttered once he saw the prince.

The other party smiled, enticed by his beauty. By the time he realized that he was staring, very obviously, the blonde was already giving him a weird look which made him snap out of his trance. "What's your name?"

"Mello, your highness."

The blonde hadn't expected the prince to be so young, but there he was. Now about to become his master. It was pretty unbelievable, but it was happening.

"Call me Matt."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapt. 2**

Matt lit up a cigarette as he walked back to the west wing, Mello and two guards following closely behind. He really needed to calm his nerves. He hadn't helped the blonde for _any _ulterior motives, he just didn't want to see the blonde die, that was it. That was _it. _

"You shouldn't smoke," the object of the redhead's thoughts spoke up suddenly, eyeing the cancer stuck in his hand. "Those'll kill you."

"Tell me something I don't know. I'd rather die by these than by anything else though."

Silence hung in the air again and the prince wondered whether he had said the right thing before Mello spoke again. "Thanks for...saving me."

"O-oh, no problem," Matt replied, shrugging.

"Why did you do that?"

"I just didn't want to see you get killed."

If the blonde wasn't satisfied with that answer, he didn't show it. Instead he just flashed a small smile and they continued walking in silence.

Once they got back to the west wing, Matt headed straight for his room with Mello, not bothering to go back to the ballroom to inform his guests. He didn't know half of them anyway.

"You can wait outside," the redhead informed the two guards who nodded in acknowledgement and stood by the door with their backs to the wall.

As they entered his room, Mello was surprised by its condition. Clothes were strewn across the floor along with cigarette butts and more than a dozen game consoles. The only thing that was organized was the shelf of video games stacked neatly at the corner of the room.

Matt grumbled to himself as he ripped off the suit, flinging it with abandon into the floor and changing into jeans and a striped shirt in full view of his new servant.

"I fucking hate suits..."

"Why do you wear it then?" Mello asked.

"Today was my birthday, so I was forced to," Matt answered, offering a smile.

"Oh...happy birthday?"

"Thanks."

"How old are you then?"

"Eighteen."

"Oh, wow. Me too." Mello was surprised. The prince didn't seem eighteen; younger, maybe. He was like a typical teenager, nothing like royalty, to the blonde's surprise. In fact, he could almost forget that he was indeed a prince. One who could, very well, sentence him to execution if he made the slightest mistake.

"Really? When's your burthday?"

"13th December. Quite a while from now."

Matt made a mental note to remember that date. Eyeing the blonde who was awkwardly standing by the side of the room, leather clothing covered in mud and dirt, he walked towards him. "Hey, uhm, you can take a shower if you want. I could lend you some clothes, though I can't guarantee they'll fit."

Mello's face lit up once he heard the offer and nodded quickly, accepting it without a second thought. He was grateful that he would be able to wash the grime off himself.

_How cute, _Matt thought to himself. He got a few shirts and pants for Mello to pick from.

The blonde looked at the limited selection of clothes that were being presented to him. He knew he shouldn't complain, seeing as this was the _prince _offering him something, so without a word, he picked up a plain black shirt and a pair of slacks. He'd have preferred something tighter, but this would have to do.

"In there," the prince pointed to the bathroom. _His _bathroom.

Mello was shocked that the prince was willing to lend his bathroom to a peasant, his _servant _now.

"Really?"

Matt shot him a confused look. "Yeah? Why?"

"Oh, uh, nothing. Thank you, your highness," Mello muttered and walked towards the bathroom without another word, clothes in hand.

_I told him to call me Matt, _the redhead sighed but shrugged once he heard the toilet door shut behind the blonde. Mello was probably stripping out of his tight leather, getting ready for a nice shower, and Matt could already imagine what the rest of his body looked like..._stop it, Matt! _He scolded himself, wanting to hit himself for thinking about it. _What the hell is wrong with you? _

Mello was becoming a distraction, and he needed a distraction from that distraction, so he sat down and did the one thing he knew best: video games. He was about to get down to it and drown out all other thoughts from his mind when he realized something: he hadn't given Mello a towel.

...

Mello shedded his clothing, frowning when he noticed how dirty his leather had become. Those were the only expensive things he owned, and now they were ruined. Wonderful.

Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, he slipped slowly into the bath, almost moaning when the warm water touched his skin. He never had luxuries like this back at home; they hardly had water, let alone _hot _water. His family, consisting if him, his mother, and his younger sister, wasn't very well off, which was why he turned to thievary to get the money they needed. His mother worked at the market all day but that hardly filled them, so of course he had to step in. Hopefully, this servant gig could earn him something useful so his mother could stop working so hard and neglecting his younger sister. He would tell them about his luck when he got home later, but for now, he just wanted to enjoy a rare bath.

Sighing in content, he scrubbed the sweet body gel over his skin and could actually _feel _the dirt get washed off. He purred when shampoo was lathered in his hair, having not used any proper shampoo for a long time. He loved his hair, but sacrifice was necessary. It was either shampoo or food, and it wasn't like he had a real choice; he couldn't let his mother and sister starve, he wouldn't. But now, well. Maybe he could request to bring some bottles of shower gel and other things back for them.

Regretfully, he spent a lot more time in the bathroom than necessary and he truly hoped the prince wouldn't get pissed. It was well over an hour before he stepped out of the tub, skin wrinkled and pruney but feeling fresh and light all the same. It was a wonderful feeling. But as he looked around for something to dry off with, he found nothing.

_"_Shit," he cursed out loud. "I forgot to ask for a towel!"

_How stupid. _

He stood on the rug which was gradually getting wetter and wetter under his feet, contemplating his next move. He sure as hell was not about to walk out of the bathroom soaking wet and stark naked and casually request for a towel from the fucking _prince. _He was pretty sure he could get killed for indecent exposure or whatever. But what was he supposed to do then? Surely, he couldn't just stay in the bathroom and wait for the water to evaporate off him because he was pretty sure he had already overstayed his welcome in there.

_Damn it! _There was really only one thing he could do...

"Your highness?" He called out wearily from his spot on the rug, not wanting to step on the bare tiles and get the floor wet.

The redhead jerked when he heard the blonde call him from the bathroom, dropping his controller onto the ground. He knew this was coming. "Yes?"

"Uhm, I'm so sorry, but I don't...I don't have a towel. Could you do me a favour and..."

Matt smirked slightly, amused at how flustered the blonde was. "Sure," he answered back, getting a towel from the rack. He knocked gently on the door, confused when he didn't get a reply of any sort. He turned the door knob and was surprised when it opened; Mello must've forgotten to lock the door. He peered in and was surprised when he didn't see the blonde anywhere. Stepping into the bathroom carefully, he looked around when, suddenly, a hand stuck out from behind the door.

"I'm over here..." A voice followed it and Matt realized that Mello was hiding behind the door.

"Oh, Mello, there you are. I got worried for a second."

"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you, your highness."

The prince stepped forward, approaching the figure behind the door to pass him the towel. "I told you to call me Matt-" He was cut short when he slipped on a puddle of water suddenly. It was like it was happening in slow motion; Matt could see himself falling forward and the blonde rushing out from his hiding spot to catch the prince. It failed, though, as the redhead fell onto him, knocking them both over and sending them crashing onto the ground with Matt lying on top of Mello.

"Ouch...shit..."

With a gasp, he supported himself on his arms and peered down at the blonde underneath him. They were in a very compromising position, he realized; not to mention the latter was naked. He had a look of shock and mortification plastered on his face. Matt, on the other hand, felt strangely calm. He could feel the heat that radiating off Mello and the smoothness of his skin, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. The prince couldn't remember the last time he had been so close to someone and it brought...feelings. Too much feelings, think, as he felt something of his harden. He got up quickly, praying that Mello hadn't felt it too.

"Mello, are you ok?" He asked, blushing slightly. _Why did he get a _boner_?_

The blonde opened his mouth then closed it, then opened it again, vaguely resembling a goldfish; a very sexy one at that. Mello's body didn't fit Matt's imagination at all, it was a lot _better. _

He shook the dirty thoughts out of his mind and his nether regions.

"Mello? Are you alright?" He asked again.

Mello snapped back to his senses then, Matt assumed, because he started blushing. Hard. "I'm...I'm so sorry, your highness! Are you ok? That was all my fault, fuck! I'm sorry!"

Matt blinked, overwhelmed by all the words coming out of the blonde's mouth at full speed. "Mello, Mello, its ok," he reassured.

The blonde looked like he was about to say something more before his eyes travelled down to the towel in Matt's hand and he realized he was still naked. He grew ten times redder.

The prince, noticing this, quickly handed the towel to him, who frantically wrapped it around himself, to Matt's dismay.

"I'll...I'll be leaving now," Matt mumbled, moving back towards the door.

Mello nodded, turning away. He couldn't believe it; the prince just saw him naked. And although he was very confident of his body, having lured many men to bed with it, it wasn't something you show to royalty, on the first meeting! Or on any meeting at all, in fact, unless they had specifically asked for it, which Matt hadn't!

He groaned, sliding down onto the floor. He hoped he didn't get killed for this.

...

By the time Mello emerged from the toilet, Matt had managed to will his erection away.

"I'm sorry again for what happened in the bathroom, your highness," Mello said softly when the prince turned to him.

"Mello, really it's fine," Matt answered, smiling lightly.

There was a silence in which Matt took the opportunity to stare at the blonde. No matter what he wore; tight or baggy clothes; he still managed to look stunning. He was snapped back to reality, though, when Mello spoke up again.

"So...do I go home for the night now or..."

"What? No, you'll stay here, in the palace. With me. You are part of the servantry now."

Mello's eyes widened. "B-but I need to go home to my family to inform them."

Matt bit his lip; he almost forgot that Mello would actually have a family to go home to. "Oh. But it's pretty late now."

The blonde's face fell and the prince started to feel bad.

"Tell you what; I'll drive you there tomorrow morning, ok?"

"Oh no, I can't trouble you like that, your highness," Mello replied quickly, not wanting to get further into his bad books. Really, as if practically flashing him wasn't bad enough, now he had to trouble the prince with a favor.

"It's no trouble at all. I'm probably free tomorrow anyway. For now, would a phone call work?"

"My house...we don't have a phone or anything. But it's ok, really!" He added in hurriedly after seeing the redhead start to rack his brains for another suggestion. "If we're going there tomorrow, it's fine, if that's REALLY ok with you, your highness?"

"Yeah, Mello, I said it was fine. I guess I'll show you to your room now. I'll introduce you to everyone tomorrow too since it's getting pretty late."

As if on cue, Mello broke into a yawn. He was getting pretty sleepy. Running away from his potential murderer really wore him out. So, with a small smile, he nodded. The prince led him out and just a few doors down the golden extravagant corridor to another room with an intricately carved door. Mello looked up at Matt and when the redhead gave him a nod, he pushed open the door slowly, as if still afraid that something might jump up and attack him. But when he saw the room's interior, he could help the gasp that escaped his open mouth.

The room was _huge, _painted bright blue with a four poster king sized bad in the middle of the fuzzy carpetted floor. Mello was...dumbstruck.

"You can go in you know," Matt chuckled at the blonde's reaction.

"T-this is my room?..." he asked in awe. He was just a servant, why was he getting such a nice room? Did all the workers in the palace have such gorgeous rooms? He had his own bathroom and everything; it was almost too good to be true.

"Yeah, of course. Go on in," he gestured to the door and the blonde stepped in excitedly, the first thing he did being jumping onto the bed, rolling in the fluffy sheets and soft pillows, smiling brightly. It was as if he had never seen, or been, on a bed before and Matt felt his heart sink a little at the thought.

But after seeing that Mello was comfortable, _more than _comfortable, he began to make his leave. "Good night, Mello."

"Oh, good night, your highness. And...thank you," he added for good measure.

"No problem. Have a good rest, Mello. I'll see you in the morning."

And with that, he left.


End file.
